1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to containers made of paper products, such as paperboard, and in particular to such containers formed from an integral blank.
2. Description of the Related Art
Containers for shipping relatively heavy, dense articles such as beef products and other articles are often stacked one on top of another as they are shipped from place to place, and subsequently stored. Oftentimes, when stacking cartons containing relatively dense, heavy articles, box-to-box telescoping would be noticed. In order to prevent undesired telescoping, corner posts may be included in the carton construction. The corner posts may be formed separately and later added to a carton receptacle. A corner post may be formed of the same material as the paperboard container, or may be formed of a different material, such as styrofoam, for example. Alternatively, the reinforcing posts may be provided at the corner of a box, the posts being formed with the box from an integral blank. An example of this type of construction is given in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,377. It is generally preferred that, if at all possible, a corrugated cardboard container be fabricated from a unitary blank, and that the blank have a design which is as efficient as possible, reducing wasted paperboard material to a minimum.
Containers made of paperboard material continue to offer significant cost savings in many important commercial applications. Frequently, end users such as those at a factory location, refer to erect cartons from time to time, as required. Thus, consideration must be given not only to the labor required to form a carton blank and erect a "knocked-down" carton for shipment to an end user, but also the labor required by the end user to set up the knocked-down blank must also be taken into account. Over the years, automated machinery has been developed to aid these operations. Capital investment for this machinery has already been made, and personnel are acquainted with the efficient operation of this equipment. It is desirable, if at all possible, to provide carton products which are adapted for use with such conventional machinery.